Developmental Biology
The development of the vertebrate nervous system is the common interest of all the groups in the section.
Multiple aspects of embryonic brain development are covered, from the early phases of patterning to the late events of regeneration, through the delicate balance of growth and differentiation, the acquisition of cell identities and the wiring of circuits.
We address these issues at different levels: molecular (chromatin organization, transcriptional control, cytoskeleton dynamics) cellular (asymmetric cell division, cilia function, cell migration) and integrative (assembly and function of neuronal circuits, interactions with the environment).
Using different vertebrate animal models and in vitro systems, our groups combine a rich heritage in experimental and descriptive embryology with modern genetics and the most recent developments in life sciences: live molecular and cellular imaging, -OMICS, biophysics, computational analyses and modeling.
The common goal of the section is to illuminate the fascinating journey taken by a few thousand neural progenitors in the early embryo to form a fully functional brain; and while doing so help uncover the etiology of human neurodevelopmental disorders.
